A former student, our alumna Zeng YE is now a project and development officer for the prestigious OPLINEPRIZE, of which IESA arts&culture is a partner. A look back at her career and at the OPLINEPRIZE.
Which program did you complete at IESA arts&culture?
I completed a Master in Contemporary Art at IESA arts&culture.
What did it bring you in particular, and did it meet your expectations?
Regarding the IESA programs, we had quite varied and concrete courses, for example courses on State cultural administration and heritage law, artistic and literary property law, artist residencies, communications strategy, theoretical but also practical courses on how to design and carry out a project.
We had many visits to studios, art institutes, and fairs. All these programs give me a grounding in the art world of the French and international art market. I also had many opportunities and time to do internships. Thanks to the IESA network, I found a job at the publishing house Weiltho / Studio JP Domingue, as production officer for a series of eight art editions. Today, I continue to learn through my practice and also through my research at INHA.
Can you introduce OPLINEPRIZE in a few words?
In fact, it is hard to present Oplineprize in a few words. Opline is a nonprofit association recognized as a public-interest organization, created by Ms. Michèle Robine and Mr. Philippe Bernard. This year is the twelfth edition of Oplineprize. Each year, 10 exhibition curators choose 10 artists. Three prizes are awarded:
- The Audience Prize via Online Votes
- The Curators' Prize
- The Press Jury Prize
Its four major goals are:
- Democratizing creation by using digital tools.
- Creating links between artists and opinion leaders and internationally renowned creators.
- Building a vast community in which businesses and cultural institutions unite to energize the creative scene.
- Promoting cross-fertilization between the art scene and digital technology.
It is not simply a prize but also a community that promotes digital art and fosters exchanges among different players in the art world. Over twelve years, more than 180 artists have been presented and numerous exhibitions have been initiated.
This year, OplinePrize is highlighting women artists in partnership with the Frans Krajcberg space, IESA arts&culture, and the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles for its events.
The Curators' Committee is made up of:
Dominique JAKOB (guest of honor), Maurice BENAYOUN, Primavera de FILIPPI, Boris GREBILLE, Yoyo MAEGHT, Dominique MOULON, ORLAN, Diane PERNET, Michael SWIERCZYNSKI, Alain THIBAULT.
The Press and New Media Jury Committee is made up of:
Caroline BOUDEHEN, Victoria Le BOLOC’H-SALAMA and Florian CHAMPAGNE, Valery de BUCHET, Eli COMMINS, Sylvie FONTAINE, Jean-Jacques GAY, Alexia GUGGEMOS, Sophie LANOE, Laurence LE NY, Guido ROMERO PIERINI.
The nominated artists are:
Juliette DELECOUR, Justine EMARD, Alia FARID, Olga KISSELEVA, Eva L’HOEST, Claire MALRIEUX, Lucy McRAE, Melodie MOUSSET, Beatriz Helena RAMOS, Brigitte ZIEGER.
I invite you to find more information on the Oplineprize website and to vote for your favorite artist.
What Is Your Role There?
Since 2019, I have been helping OplinePrize grow in Asia, not only to launch projects in Asia but also to introduce new curators, artists of Asian origin, and international organizations to the Opline community.
Last year, I was in charge of the project for Opline’s first exhibition in China, with the support of the Fosun Foundation Shanghai, IESA arts&culture, Ascott Studio, the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, and many media partners.
On the theme "New Territory," which was also the theme of OPLINEPRIZE 2019, proposed by our guest of honor, the famous architect Dominique Perrault, who designed among other works the Bibliothèque nationale François-Mitterrand, we presented the works of the two winners: Valéry Grancher & Salomé Chatriot. Unfortunately, we were unable to present the magnificent pieces of the other winner, Kim KototamaLune, due to transport conditions made difficult by the health crisis… Finally, in order to recontextualize our exhibition theme and create a new dialogue in Shanghai, I invited two former artists of Le Fresnoy Studio National: Thomas Garnier and Chen Junkai, who is currently a professor at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, as well as a piece created by her two students Yunfei & Lin Renjia.
If you have other questions about Opline and its collaboration terms, please contact me by email: zy.oplineprize@gmail.com
